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Migration partnerships

Outsourced border control via the Pact for the Mediterranean /// "Renewed" approach to the Sahel /// Iraq and Bangladesh Action Files

A grand new vision for outsourced border control in the Mediterranean

Ahead of a meeting of the Council of the EU’s Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council on 5 February, 2026, the Cypriot Presidency of the Council circulated a discussion paper on ways to increase border externalisation efforts through the new Pact for the Mediterranean.

The presidency note (pdf), sub-headed ‘initiatives and actions in the area of border security’, broadly invites delegations to brainstorm ways the new Pact can be used to increase the EU’s control around the Mediterranean. It also suggest some of its own, including:

• “Common patrolling” of non-EU territorial waters in the Med, as well as “joint activities” in intercepting migrants. The paper notes the need to pursue Frontex status agreements to facilitate such cooperation.

• Exporting the EU’s border practices via training and information sharing. The paper references some “misalignment of priorities” among potential partner countries, which in context seems to suggest those countries need to be pushed into following the EU’s lead.

• Funding for equipment and facilities. The EU is already funding a new Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in the East of Libya, and this Presidency paper suggests that may only be the beginning. It outlines a comprehensive approach to equipping partner countries with the tools they need to prevent people arriving in Europe, including “the digitalisation of border management processes”.

Another note from the Presidency (pdf) sent on 12 February advocates the development of a forum for internal security dialogues with Mediterranean ‘partners’, with the goal of greater trans-national cooperation on irregular migration control. This plan, building on existing cooperation, would incorporate greater Europol and Frontex involvement in Mediterranean countries and potentially see the EU funding build-up of those countries’ law enforcement-related capacities.

A “renewed approach” to migration control in the Sahel

A report, produced by the Commission and the European External Action Service and circulated 21 October 2025 to the EU’s Political and Security Committee of member state foreign affairs delegates, sums up the EU’s ambitions in re-engaging with Sahel countries on migration control.

The report, titled "A renewed EU Approach to the Sahel" (pdf), notes the various reasons that EU-Sahel cooperation has declined in recent years and clearly states the EU’s ambitions to reestablish that cooperation:

"In this strategic region (the Sahel), the EU should not only aim for short-term leverage but also to sustain efforts for long-term investment and presence, aligned with the Global Gateway strategy, countering geopolitical rivals and scaling up constructive relations to re-establish the EU as a partner of choice for the Sahel, especially amongst the youth who represent a vast majority of the population."

The report features migration as a prominent concern and advocates re-engagement on border control measures, particularly via the ‘Team Europe Initiatives’ and incorporating ‘whole-of-route’ approaches.

Apparently very anxious that Sahel countries would rather partner with non-EU states (perhaps with Russian ‘instrumentalisation’ in mind), the report seems to be advocating a diplomatic ‘full court press’. It recommends offering partnership across the board, from human rights to investment and job creation, counter-terrorism and public outreach campaigns. It also emphasises that the EU must “adapt” to the priorities of each individual country.

The report also notes that a lot of money will likely be needed to foster cooperation:

“Financial tools and all instruments should be tailored to allow for greater flexibility and quick action”.

Action files: updates to EU migration management and spending in Iraq and Bangladesh

At a 17 October 2025 meeting of the EU Council’s Operational Coordination Mechanism for the External Dimension of Migration (MOCADEM) working party, member state delegations discussed updates to the ‘action files’ for Bangladesh and Iraq.

These ‘action files’ sum up the EU’s activities and ambitions for border externalisation and other related projects in partner countries. Such efforts include, among others, “use of visa leverage to improve readmission cooperation”, combatting “migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings” and increasing deportations.

That Iraq and Bangladesh were discussed is notable given that both were described as having improved their cooperation with the EU on deportations, in a recent document obtained by Statewatch.

The full, though redacted, action files for Iraq (pdf) and Bangladesh (pdf) are available on the Statewatch site, along with analysis by researcher Cezary Dziółko.

Action files have also been published for Afghanistan (pdf), Egypt (pdf) and Tunisia (pdf). Analysis of these will be published on the Statewatch site in coming weeks.